Monday August 31, 2009 11:09 pm

Disney to Pay $4 Billion for Marvel Entertainment

In a deal announced today, The Walt Disney Company says it intends to purchase comic book giant Marvel Entertainment. The acquisition is worth a whopping $4 billion.

“This transaction combines Marvel’s strong global brand and world-renowned library of characters including Iron Man, Spider-Man, X-Men, Captain America, Fantastic Four and Thor with Disney’s creative skills, unparalleled global portfolio of entertainment properties, and a business structure that maximizes the value of creative properties across multiple platforms and territories,” Robert A. Iger, Walt Disney Company’s President and CEO, said in a press release.

According to Marvel’s CEO, the purchase will be a win-win situation for both companies. “Disney is the perfect home for Marvel’s fantastic library of characters given its proven ability to expand content creation and licensing businesses,” said Ike Perlmutter. “This is an unparalleled opportunity for Marvel to build upon its vibrant brand and character properties by accessing Disney’s tremendous global organization and infrastructure around the world.”

Based on Disney’s August 28 closing price, Marvel shareholders will receive $30 per share in addition to 0.745 Disney shares for every Marvel share they own.